INFLUENCE OF SMOKING ON HORMONE-SECRETION IN OBESE AND LEAN FEMALE SMOKERS

Smoking exerts influences on the secretion of several hormones which a re abnormal in obesity. Previous studies have mainly been performed in non-obese men, and data from non-obese and obese women are scarce. Th e aim of the present study was therefore to identify the effect of smo king on hormone secretions in obese and lean female smokers. The study was performed in 10 obese and 8 lean, premenopausal, healthy smokers. All subjects were tested once under experimental and once under contr ol conditions (not smoking) in randomized order. The women smoked two non-filtered cigarettes during 4 minutes each. Blood pressure and hear t rate were measured 30 minutes before smoking, at the start of smokin g (time 0) and then after 5, 10, 20, 30, 45 and 60 minutes. Blood samp les were taken for determination of serum concentrations of adrenocort icotropic hormone (ACTH), cortisol, prolactin (PRL), growth hormone (G H) and thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) at the same time points excep t at 5 minutes. Heart rate rose in both groups during smoking. Systoli c and diastolic blood pressure was increased only in the obese subject s. Cortisol and ACTH increased in both groups, while TSH, PRL and GH w ere unchanged in both groups. We conclude that lean and obese smoking women seem to respond rather similarly to smoking in the hemodynamic a nd endocrine variables measured in this report with the possible excep tion of blood pressure where the obese women tended to show more prono unced increases.